There are always going to be films where the preview makes a film look far better than it can be, and Underclassman is one of those films that looked like it could be exciting, but turned out to be a complete dud. Nick Cannon is cast in his typical (or stereotypical) role as a young guy bucking authority, and in the end learning a valuable lesson. This time around he plays Tracy (Tre) Stokes, a California bicycle cop that thinks of himself as much more than that. He doesn't follow direction very well, and seems to always end up on the wrong side of his Captain. When he catches wind of a possible undercover operation, he convinces his Captain that he is the man for the job. It is really just another way for him to show off, but Captain Delgado is willing to try give him one last chance.

At a local high school, a kid that worked for the school newspaper has turned up dead. There are no real leads in the case, and Stokes is brought in as an undercover student to try and strike up friendships with those who had befriended the victim. Its a lot like 21 Jumpstreet, as this cop tries to fit into the high school environment all over again. All of the over-used plot devises from movies such as these are brought in, as a lot of people don't look kindly towards Stokes, and then that one eccentric kid in the bunch befriends him and helps him fit in at the school. For those reading this review, yeah I don't really know what intrigued me about this story in the first place, and nothing very original ended up coming out of the creation of this film.

Surrounding Cannon is a recognizable cast that includes Kelly Hu as one of the officers, Cheech Marin as his Captain on the force, and Shawn Ashmore as one of the kids at that school. Recognizable yes, but the combination within this cast really didn't present a lot of "acting chops", and the believability of the story really started to vanish as the sequence of events at the school start to unfold. There was no chemistry between the characters, and none of them were able to play off their counterparts with any success. It was frustrating at times to watch, because you could see where the story might have been more interesting if it went in certain directions, but the plot unfolded in an all too familiar (and predictable) method. The dialogue wasn't any better, as the film struggled to connect events and character development.

The very thin story that was the "plot" of this film, was supposed to succeed because of the humor involved. Unfortunately for the film, and for me as the audience, the film really failed to provide even one funny moment or joke. I mean there wasn't even one of those one-liners that can have you laughing for a few moments after it has been given. The screenwriters didn't really seem to care that the story didn't flow, and the story didn't give excitement to what was intended to be an action-comedy. Outdated jokes, many performances that seemed to simply be phoned in, and a plot that was unoriginal in every aspect sends this movie right to the $1.00 bargain bin at Walmart. There are no redeeming qualities in this weak attempt at comedy, and the abysmal presentation makes it one I definitely recommend avoiding.






Recommended:
No

Viewing Format: DVD